Improvement in school-desks



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES SMITH, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

, IMPROVEMENT IN SCHOOL-DESKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,161, dated August 15, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs SMITH, of Richmond, in the county of Vayne and State of Indiana, have invented a certain Improvement in School-Desks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making part of this specification, in which*- Figurel is a perspective view of two desks as joined together, one having a spring-back the other having the ordinary back, but both having the seat divided into two sections. Fig. 2 is a central sectional elevation, showing the method of uniting the desks, the manner of arranging' the spring-back, and of hinging the seats. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line no .r of 1.

Corresponding letters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to school-desks; and it consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of some of the parts of wl'lich it is composed, as will be more fully explained hereina-.ften

In eonstructin g desks of this character I use any suitable metallic end frames A A, they being so constructed as t0 receive the backs, tops, and bookshelves, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and also so as to receive and hold the sectional seats, as shown in the same figure. To these end pieces the tops B, book-shelves B, and backs of the desks are secured, in any suitable manner. The seats G C are made in sections, as shown in Fig. l, in order that one section maybe folded up while the other one is in use when it is desirable to do so. These seats have curved upper surfaces, their outer ends beingl pivoted to the frames A and their inner ends to studs C', which are screwed or otherwise fastened to the bar which unites the desks together. The construction of the studs C is clearly shown in Fig. 1, it being such as to provide their inner ends with flanges for attaching them to the beam, while their outer ends a-re rounded so as to form a pivot, upon which a socket secured to the under side of the seat turns.

I have shown two desks as united by means of a bar, D, a-nd brace, D', but I propose to unite a series of seats in this manner, in order that they may be placed in any desirable position in a room, and remain there without bein g fastened to the iioor, in order that they may be readily removed for cleaning the room or for any other purpose. One of the desks thus united is shown as of the ordinary kind, except that it has its seats made in sections, while the other is shown a-s having` my improvements attached to it, the object being to show that my method ot attachingdesks to Veach other is applicable to any form of desk. The bar D extends from one desk or seat to the other, it being secured to such seats by means of straps of metal, as shown in Fig. 3, or in any other suitable manner. To give additional strength or firmness to this attachment, a brace, D', is employed, one end of which is secured to the under side of the book-shelf or to the desk-cover, and the other to the upper surface of the bar D. lVhen more than two desks are to be united the bar D may be made continnous, and each seat be secured to it, or it may extend from one seat to another, alternately, and be secured thereto at its ends.

To provide a seat or desk, the back portion of which may be easily made to conform to the angle at which the occupant Wishes to sit, an ad dition al back-piece, E, is provided,the lower edge of which is hinged to the stationary portion, it being made of any desired form, and to extend upward to about the height of the xed portion. To the inner side of the movable backthere are affixed straps of metal, which are lhent to the forni desired, and have attached to them, at a suitable point, a stud with a collar upon it, upon which a spring, E', is placed. This stud is long enough to pass through the stationary portion of the back, and is provided with a nut or nuts, by the turning of which the position of the adjustable back can be fixed.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An adjustable-backed desk, combining in its construction a stationary part and adjustable part, springs, and adjusting-studs or screws, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a scl1ooi-desk,tl1e combination of the connected frames A A, the bar D for rigidly connecting two or more desks, and the folding-seats C C, which turn at one end in the frames A A, respectively, and at the other end upon studs G C' secured to the bar D, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses.

Witnesses: JAMES SMITH.

JOHN CALVERT, J orrN BELL. 

